REVIEW: Go to Bed: Survive the Night

by Daniel Hodson

Go to Bed: Survive the Night is a new horror, bedroom defense game by Touchfight. Its simplicities and dark aesthetics help it stand out in the crowded indie market, but there are still a few elements that lead to it being more frustrating experience than it needs to be.

You play as a young boy who’s sent to bed by his mother. But soon you are attacked by ghoulish limbs and shadowy creatures. These enemies are disposed of by individually clicking them, resulting in engaging, fast gameplay that constantly keeps you on your toes. Each stage is set in a different location consisting of four levels. These levels represent an hour of time passing by and you complete them by surviving for two minutes of real time.

As you fend off enemies you will find spiders that can be used as currency to buy power-ups, and light orbs can be collected to turn on a light that will freeze enemies, giving you a momentary advantage.

The art style, music, and general atmosphere give off a creepy vibe that’s reminiscent of being a child who’s afraid of the dark. For a game that was designed around a touchscreen, I was surprised how often I was startled and scared. They were however little more than jump scares.

The music takes you back to those old horror and suspense shows like The Twilight Zone and Thriller and the hand-drawn visuals add to the ambiance of the game.

Since it’s available on PC and iOS, there are two different interfaces that can be used to play, and they make for noticeably different experiences. Using a mouse on a PC makes it more tricky to go from selecting one enemy to another, and the mouse’s precision means that you will sometimes overshoot your target. This isn’t much of an issue at first, but once you get to the third stage you’ll become increasingly frustrated trying to transition from one target to the next. Eventually it becomes more difficult than it needs to be.

The iOS version however fairs much better with its touchscreen interface. Playing the first few levels I noticed right off the bat that the hit detection was better and I was much more accurate with my selections.

The hit detection on the PC version could still be improved and it would be for the best if the overall difficulty was lowered a bit. It’s dark, creepy atmosphere and frantic gameplay make for a thrilling experience that constantly keeps you engaged and struggling to make it through one more level.